Israeli Army Attacks Syrian Government Forces Positions

A military spokesperson from Israel stated that following a mortar shell fired from Syrian territory hitting areas under Israeli control in the Golan Heights, the Israeli army targeted positions of Syrian government forces on Wednesday evening. According to AFP, this is part of an exchange of fire between Israel and Syria over the past week. The Israeli military spokesperson mentioned that a mortar shell fired from Syria struck an open area in an Israeli-controlled region in the Golan Heights, and in response, Israeli forces targeted Syrian army positions and the location from which the mortar was fired. The spokesperson did not specify whether the attack on Syrian army positions was carried out by the air force or if ground forces responded to this action. AFP reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Katzrin, a Jewish settlement in southern Golan Heights, on Wednesday. In a statement regarding this, Netanyahu said: 'During my speech, bullets were fired from Syria into our territory, which the Israeli army responded to.' The Israeli Prime Minister added: 'As I have said before, we do not tolerate such matters and will respond to any fire.' Netanyahu emphasized: 'Anyone who attacks us, we will retaliate. This is our policy, and we will continue it.' Meanwhile, on Saturday evening, following the impact of 11 mortars and missiles fired from Syrian territory into northern Israel, Israeli fighter jets targeted two tanks and a vehicle carrying ammunition. Syria also confirmed that in the Israeli airstrike on Saturday evening, five Syrians, including two soldiers, were killed. The Israeli army stated that the mortar attacks were part of the war between opposition forces and Bashar al-Assad's army. One website aligned with Syrian opposition reported that fighters from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, along with other groups, had launched an operation that day to control the city of 'al-Ba'ath' in Quneitra province, which is under the control of Assad's supporters and Hezbollah. The Lebanese network Al-Mayadeen, aligned with the Assad government and Hezbollah, reported that Assad's forces managed to neutralize these attacks. According to AFP, Israel seized about 1,200 square kilometers of the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War in 1967, while Syria controls 510 square kilometers of the Golan Heights.